Page 11 of Dash to Me
“I couldn’t tell,” I lie, and she smacks my chest playfully.
“Liar. I was shaking like a leaf.”
I capture her hand, bringing it to my lips. “Well, for someone with limited experience, you’ve got natural talent.”
She blushes, looking up at me through her lashes. “It’s different when it’s with someone you... care about.”
I hear the hesitation in her voice, the word she’s not quite ready to say.That’s okay. We have time.“I more than care about you,” I tell her, needing her to know. “I love you. Have for years.”
I pull the covers around us, tucking her against my side where she fits perfectly. There’s so much I want to say—how I’ve never felt this way before, how I want to wake up next to her every morning, how I’m already planning our future together—but I hold back. We have time. Tonight is just the beginning.
“What are you thinking?” she asks, her fingers tracing patterns on my chest.
I kiss the top of her head. “That I’m the luckiest man alive.”
She lifts her head to look at me, her eyes searching mine. “No regrets?”
“Not a single one, love.”
She smiles and settles back against my chest. “But what happens when we get home?”
Is she worried? “Nothing changes for me - I’ll still want you. The location doesn’t matter.”
“People will talk,” she says, and I can hear the worry in her voice. “Our friends, our families...”
“Let them,” I reply, tilting her chin up so she meets my eyes. “I’ve waited too long for this—for you—to care what anyone else thinks.”
She bites her lower lip, and I resist the urge to kiss her again. “I’ve spent years watching you date other women, thinking you’d never see me that way. It’s hard to believe this is real.”
“Believe it,” I tell her, rolling us so she’s pinned beneath me again. “Every woman I’ve ever been with was just me trying to find someone who made me feel even a fraction of what I feel when I’m with you. None of them ever came close.”
Her eyes widen. “Really?”
“Really,” I confirm, brushing my lips against hers. “Why do you think none of my relationships lasted? They weren’t you.”
She wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me closer. “I’ve been jealous of every single one of them.”
I laugh softly. “You had no reason to be. They were all jealous of you—the woman I couldn’t stop talking about, couldn’t stop comparing them to.”
“That’s terrible.”
“I know. I was an asshole. But I’m your asshole now, if you’ll have me.”
Best fucking night ever…
EVA
I wakeup cuddled up in Atlas’ arms, but when I notice the time, I shoot out of bed, throwing a pillow at him. “Get up!”
He stirs awake. “What the hell is going on?”
“We need to get on the road. It’s already seven!”
I pull my clothes back on as he does the same, rushing out the door to the car shop. Thankfully, it’s ready to go.
“How much do we owe you?” I ask.
“It’s already been paid for,” Atlas responds. “It’s my truck. My expense. Let’s go get your brother’s wedding cake and get back to Lawson Ridge, so we don’t miss their wedding.”
